It starts from the Superiority Syndrome: People
acting as if they’re more important than a U.S. President — when they
clearly are not. To fingers in the face. To people questioning his
already established and proven citizenship.
The incidents of disrespect towards President Obama continue.
When people criticize Administration policy, that’s just politics. But several incidents directed at
this President
appear to find new lows. Of course, people can disagree with the
President. But, why can’t people respect the Office of the Presidency?
The very public nature of disrespect towards President Obama is
noteworthy. Did Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ) have to conduct business with
the President in front of reporters? Wasn’t there a better time and
place? Would a visiting leader from a foreign country be greeted with a
finger in his face by a Governor? If not, why would it happen to the
leader of our own country? Could a hockey goalie have executed a quiet
no-show for a White House invitation honoring his team? See Facebook for
the answer on that one.
It wasn’t the end of the world when Speaker John Boehner refused the
President’s date to speak to a joint session on jobs in September 2011.
And yes, the White House picked that date to steal attention from a GOP
debate. But like so many moments of disrespect towards the 44th
President: No one can find another example in American history where a
U.S. President requested a date to address Congress and was refused. Can
anyone find another incident like the Brewer one? That the list below
can even be compiled is telling.
1. The birther fiasco (2009-2011). No evidence. No
proof. No documentation. But the story traveled on for years. Yes,
Hawaii is part of the United States of America.
2. “You lie” (Sept. 2009). That any individual — no
less a member of Congress watching a U.S. President during a joint
session on live national television —
is so lacking in self control that this moment was made possible is
incredible — even in an age of incivility. Remember this happened only
nine months into Obama’s presidency and is another “we can’t remember
that ever happening ever before” moment. Close your eyes and pretend
Rep. Maxine Waters was Wilson doing this to President Bush and image the
reaction.
3. Signs of the Tea Party (July 2010) and Naked Racism (April 2011).
Anyone remember California GOP official Marilyn Davenport’s racist
e-mail? Did she ever resign for that? I remember all the criticism of
the NAACP – particularly from Black Republicans — for their “Tea Party
resolution” of 2010. Where was that indignation regarding what can be
viewed
in this video? Click here.
4. Donald “unchecked ego” Trump inflames birther fiasco, media assists (April 2011).
The mouth of Donald Trump is a powerful thing when joined with a
24-hour cable news cycle desperate for viewers. That news organizations
invited Trump on the air unchallenged with zero proof of what he was
saying speaks volumes on the state of journalism. That Trump was
completely comfortable demanding
that a U.S. President “show him his papers” displays a superiority complex that exists among those who can’t accept someone they view as “lesser” in a position of power over them.
4. Deadbeat dad and probable one-termer thinks his presence
before the President actually matters and needs to tell everyone (Sept
2011). The disrespect isn’t that probable one term Congressman
Joe Walsh (R-IL) wouldn’t attend the President’s Sept. 8 speech. The
disrespect is that Rep. Walsh actually believed that everyone knowing he
wasn’t attending was important. That he needed to announce he would
not attend on national television, as if anyone cared, was yet another
delusional superiority episode. That proudly showing public disrespect
towards the President is a winning strategy in some political circles
reveals a lot.
5. Newt Gingrich’s “Kenyan anti-colonial behavior” comment (Sept 2010). Even Washington Post columnist and conservative thinker George Will slammed this attempt to define the President as “foreign.” Never
mind the facts: President Obama wasn’t reared by his father in Kenya
with whom he spent only a month of his 50 years on this earth. The
strategy to define the President as a “foreign” or “alien” being was
started by Sarah Palin in 2008.
6. One of the underlying premises of disrespect towards the
President is that he can be ordered around and dictated to like he’s
Tipi the laundry boy. The presumption that a U.S. President
can be ordered around is a new phenomenon that appears to have gotten
underway around January 2009. From big mouth Congressmen to
millionaires with nothing to do, you name it — they all inherently
believe they can order President Obama around. At least Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is an actual leader of something.
Regardless, read this and ask yourself if you think this would have
happened to Presidents Bush, Reagan or Clinton.
7. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer puts her finger in the President’s face (January 2012).
The photo speaks for itself. Of course there are strong political
disagreements between President Obama and Gov. Brewer. But is it just
possible there was a better time and place for this conversation?
Brewer said she felt “a little threatened” by President Obama. Please.
8. GOP House, prompted by Tea Party — refuses to raise debt ceiling (Aug 2011). Sounds
like this was just hardball politics right? Let’s review the facts: The
debt ceiling had been raised 69 times since 1962 without incident.
Seven times during Bush II and 18 times during Reagan. Suddenly, with
President Obama, a shiny new precedent is set with regard to raising the
debt ceiling. Another never before seen incident is born.
9. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Publicly Announces His Top Political Priority (Dec 2010).
McConnell wants the President out of office? No news there, but, wait,
there’s more to it. “Our top political priority over the next two years
should be to deny President Obama a second term,” Sen. McConnell told
the Heritage Foundation. Of course the Senate Republican Leader doesn’t
want the President to be re-elected. But what’s with the public
announcement? In July 2010 McConnell acknowledged his single most
important political goal: President Obama being a one-term President.
Again: In public and on national television.
10. Speaker Boehner refuses speech date request (September 2011).
No it is not the end of the world. Of course, the White House
intentionally wanted to step on a GOP debate that same night. But, this
is yet another first in American history. Once again, no one can find
another instance where a President of the United States requested a date
to address Congress and was refused.
Lauren Victoria Burke is a writer and
political analyst. She created the blog Crewof42, a blog that covers
African American members of Congress, in 2009. Ms. Burke appears
regularly on NewsOneNow with Roland Martin and on WHUR, WURD, and WVON.
Ms. Burke has enjoyed employment at USAToday.com and ABC News. She
holds a B.A. in History from The American University. E-mail anytime:
LBurke007@gmail.com. Twitter: @Crewof42
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